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#ASMS2014CONFERENCE REPORT
Note from the Organizers
ASMS 2014 in Numbers
Key Takeaways: Trends
Expert Tips
Social Media in Afghanistan: Facts and Figures
Coverage
What’s next
AcknowledgmentAgenda and Overview
111
The Afghan ICT sector has brought in revenues of
$1.3 billion to the Afghan economy, making it equivalent
to the 4th largest donor agency in terms of revenues
generated, right after USAID and the World Bank.
All facts and figures provided by Deputy Minister Aimal Marjan (MCIT)
= 66% of all users
use Facebook
17%Facebook users
are female
83%Facebook users
are male
DID YOUKNOW
= 3.7% Afghans
use internet
million
How do you build a movement?This is a question often asked on and of social media – and this is also the question that we, the organizers of #ASMS2014, asked ourselves as we prepared for the second annual Afghan Social Media Summit.
As Afghanistan’s premiere event on technology, innovation, and social media, #ASMS2014 had a challenging mandate: to follow and improve upon the first-ever Afghan National Social Media Summit, Paiwand, held in September 2013.
Held on Oct 19-21, 2014, #ASMS2014 brought together over 700 people from 22 provinces and 8 countries, including 43 speakers who video-con-ferenced or, in two cases, flew in to Kabul to discuss some of the most interesting and cutting edge issues in social media.
Different Twitter users chimed into the conversation, live-tweeted on our official #
Unique users interacted with the Afghan Social Media Summit social media page on Facebook.
Minutes of the live video feed was watched times on Youtube.
#ASMS2014 Team
But the real stars of the summits were not the speakers. Rather, they were the participants: the Afghan social media users that made their voices heard both at the event, as well as by participating through online channels. Over 962 different Twitter users chimed into the conversation, live-tweeted on our official hashtag, 2030 unique users interacted with the Afghan Social Media Summit page on Facebook, and users watched 3,858 minutes of the live video feed 689 times on Youtube.
Participants contributed to discussions ranging from the hottest topics regarding social media in Afghanistan, such as its role in the Afghan elections, to topics that were new for almost all attendees, such as “the Internet of Things”, the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, as well as specific platforms such as Crowdmapping.
So how do you build a movement? Well, it depends on what kind of movement you want to build.
And for the summit organizing team, our movement of choice was an empowered Afghan Internet public that effectively leverages social media for a better Afghanistan.
We believe that the best way to build it is to give citizens the tools and skills to speak up, connect, and act for the public good of Afghanistan.
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22
700
11 SPEAKERS
IN ATTENDANCE OVER 3 DAYS
PROVINCES REPRESENTED
AFGHANISTAN, CANADA, EGYPT INDIA, IRAN, PAKISTAN, SWEDEN, USA
VIDEO CONFERENCES
43
8COUNTRIESSENT SPEAKERS:
5
18
2
FEMALE PARTICIPANTS
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS FLEW INTO KABUL
TWEETS ABOUT ASMS 2014 from 962 UNIQUE TWITTER USERS
SESSIONS
974
FACEBOOK INTERACTION
FACEBOOK IMPRESSIONS
2.3K 211.6
77
DAY Sunday Oct 19
8:00 AMRegistrationCoffee and tea was served.
9:00 AM
Welcoming RemarksThe welcoming remarks, delivered by the announcers and by Ministry officials as well as organizers, explained the objectives of the summit and set the agenda for the next three days.
10:00 AM
How Technology is Changing Afghanistan (Short Talks)Social media and technology have had profound effects on Afghanistan and Afghan culture. In this series of short talks, our speakers provided their perspective.
Topics and Speakers:
1. Shahrazad Akbar, Building National Identity Through Social Media2. Abdul Kabir Ebrahimi, E-Tazkeera - Foundation For E-governance 3. Mujib Mashal, How Social Media Challenges A Conservative Culture4. Soraya Afzali, Presenting a New Face of Afghanistan - the “Humans of Kabul” project
11:00 Tea Break
11:30 AM
#Hashtag Activism (Panel Discussion)The rise and proliferation of social media has led to a new type of organizing and activism. But is “hashtag activism” actually effective?
Topics and Speakers
Moderator: Ruchi KumarPanelist 1: Timor Sharan, #BadakshanNeedsYouPanelist 2: Eileen Guo, The #UmbrellaMovement: Occupy Central in Hong Kong
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All of us in this room here can and are shaping what the Internet and what social media in Afghanistan will be just by the simple act of using our phone and logging on to the internet.
So what will you do with that power?
Eileen Guo Event Director
Sunday Oct 19
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PMBreak-Out SessionsBreak-out sessions were designed to be small group sessions that allowed participants to go deeper into a particular topic.
#Hamgam Fellowships Presen-tations on Digital Storytelling
Main Hall
Selected fellows from the #Hamgam conference gave their presentations on digital storytelling. Hosted by Counterpart Interna-tional
Storytelling Using Mobile Tools
Room A
Pulitzer-prize winning Photojournalist Massoud Houssani taught participants the basics of visual storytelling using just a basic phone camera.Presented by: Massoud Houssani
Open Data
Room B
This workshop/discussion introduced the concept of “open data” and taught participants how to use it.Presented by: Nate Smith, Devel-opment Seed
Workshop: Build Your Own Wireless Network
Room C
In this advanced workshop, recommended for engineers and hardware developers only, former Google Engineer Matt Stephenson worked with participants to build their own wireless network for use in remote areas. Presented by: Matt Stephenson
101: Deep Dive on Hashtags
Room D
In this session, Tech Specialist Omid Haqbin taught social media users everything they needed to know about effectively using hashtags. Presented by: Omid HaqbinDari only
Social Media 101: Facebook Workshop
Room E
This session went over both the basics as well as more advanced features of Facebook. Presented by: Ruchi KumarEnglish
DAY
11
2:30 PM Tea Break
3:00 PM
Technology and Innovation Social Media is just one form of technology that is changing the world. This session introduced other technologies and innovations.
Topics and Speakers:
1. The #Internet and Entrepreneurship, Elmyra Bayrasli (Video-conference)2. Technology that Bridges the Digital Divide, Matt Stephenson 3. The Internet of Things, Romain Lacombe (Video-conference)4. Wikipedia and Open Source: An Introduction, Mokhsh Juneja (Video-Conference)
3:00 PM Closing Remarks
With the help of ICT, I am sure that after 5 years we will be like some other country whose 99% tasks are carried out by internet.
Aimal Marjan Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology
Monday Oct 20
8:00 AMRegistrationCoffee and tea was served.
9:00 AM Welcoming Remarks
9:15 AM
Panel Discussion: #AfghanElections, What Social Media Tells You About the 2014 Presidential ElectionsSocial media has played a greater role in this year’s presidential elections than ever before. If we looked at the #AfghanElec-tions from a social media and technology-based perspective, what would it tell us?
Moderator: Lotfullah Najafizada, Head of TOLO News 1. Ahmad Shuja, Co-founder, Impassion Afghanistan2. Nate Smith, Development Seed3. Javid Faisal, Representative of Abdullah Abdullah campaign4. Hamdullah Muhib, Representative of Ashraf Ghani campaign
10:15 AMCivic TechnologyIntroduced by Omid Haqbin
1. Alicia Llewellyn: Civic Hacking (Video-conference)2. Noor: Crowdmapping for Social Good
11:15 AM Tea Break
11:30 AM Panel Discussion: Privacy, Rights, and Cyber-Security
Moderator: Eileen Guo1. Zmarialai Wafa, Director of Information Systems Security at Ministry of Communications and Information Technology2. Javid Hamdard, ICT expert3. Amir Sadeghpour, Iranian Activist, Technologist, and Entrepreneur (Video-conference)
DAY
13
Social media is contributing to a discussion nationwide that is contributing to nation-building.
Lotfullah Najafizada Head of TOLONews
#ChicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator
From her bedroom in the Chicago suburbs, an American girl uses social media to run the revolution in Syria. Armed with Facebook, Twitter, Skype and cameraphones, she helps her network in Damascus and Homs who brave snipers and shelling in the streets and show the world the human rights atrocities of one of the most brutal dictators. But as the revolution rages on, everyone in the network must decide the most effective way to fight a dictator: social media or AK-47s. Only available in English.
Main Hall
Life In a Day
Q&A with Massoud Houssaini, who appears in the film as the Afghan submission, will follow. Life in a Day is a crowdsourced drama/documentary film comprising of an arranged series of video clips selected from 80,000 clips submitted to Youtube. It’s meant to tell the story of a life on earth. English-language, but easy to understand. Recommended for participants with lower levels of English.
Room B
3:30 PM Closing Remarks
Tuesday Oct 21
8:00 AMRegistrationCoffee and tea was served.
9:00 AM
Welcoming RemarksWelcoming remarks were delivered by ASMS Event Director Eileen Guo summarising the earlier two days of the summit. She also set the agenda for the final day as well as milestones for the beyond the summit.
9:15 AMPanel Discussion: The Changing Face of NewsThis session discussed the ways that news and journalism in Afghanistan is changing in the age of digital and mobile.
Moderator: Lisa Shepard, Former Managing Editor of Paiwandgah and For-mer NPR OmbudsmanMohammad Sufyan Head of Communications and Marketing at Pajhwok: Are Mobile Apps the Future of News? Javid Faisal: Mobile Peace ReportingRuchi Kumar: The Listicle as News StoryAziz Koshan: SadRoz.af
10:15 AMBreak-Out Sessions ABreak-out sessions were designed to be small group sessions that allowed participants to go deeper into a particular topic.
Online Advocacy for Women’s Rights: Presentations
Main Hall
The first of a two-part session,
Online Advocacy for Women’s Rights featured presentations of global campaigns for women’s rights, followed in Part 2 by small group discussions on how to use social media for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Moderator: Shahrazad Akbar
1. Eileen Guo: Empowering Youth
2. Monica Ibrahimi: HarassMap Egypt
3. Mukhtar Pidram: “Woman in the Street”
Social Media 101: Twitter Workshop
Room AThis session covered both basic and advanced Twitter use. Omid Haqbin
Social Media 101: Blogging Workshop
Room BQasem Behnud, of Afghan Culture House, taught the basics of web blogs.
Qasem Behnud
Dari only
DAY
The presidential candidates and those who use social media for the elections should use it to educate people on how to vote.
Ahmad Shuja, Co-Creator of Paiwandgah
Voter education is very important.
DAY Tuesday Oct 21
Workshop on Encrypted Communications
Room D
Noted cryptographer and entrepreneur Chris Allen lead a small group discussion and workshop that went more in depth into encrypted communications.
Chris Allen
Journalism Ethics in a Digital World
Room E
How has journalism changed in a digital world? How do you remain ethical as a journalist?
Lisa Shepard
11:15 AM Tea Break
11:30 AMBreak-Out Sessions BBreak-out sessions were designed to be small group sessions that allowed participants to go deeper into a particular topic.
Online Advocacy for Women’s Rights: DiscussionModerator: Shahrazad Akbar
Main Hall
1. Eileen Guo: #Everyday Sexism2. Noora FlinkMan: HarassMap Egypt3. Mukhtar Pidram: “Woman in the Street”
Workshop: Building a CrowdMap
Room A
CrowdMap is a simple map-making tool that allows you to create collaborative map alternatives to Google.
Noor Ahmad
The way people read news on social media… and the way people interact with each other and exchange information is changing.
In-Depth Discussion of Online Privacy
Room C
This session was meant to be a follow-up to the panel discussion on privacy, rights, and security, and went into some of the deeper issues relating to Internet security.
Jillian York
Online User Behavior Research: Ethics and Implications, Omid Haqbin
Cyber-bullying Daud Hamidi
Social Media 101: Instagram Workshop This interactive workshop elaborated on using Instagram for visual story-telling.
Ruchi Kumar
Room D
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM
Break-Out Sessions C: Small group discussions on next stepsIn this session, conference participants were divided into small groups to discuss how to build on the momentum of the conference and continue to support the growth of social media in Afghanistan.
2:30 PM Final Speeches and Closing Ceremony
Ruchi KumarManaging Editor of Paiwandgah
19#ASMS2014, Conference Report
“For security and access reasons, we can’t go everywhere in Afghanistan, but social media can” Shaharazad Akbar
Civil Society Leader
Throughout #ASMS2014, a number of common themes emerged. These included the following:
1. Social Media as a Mirror to Afghan SocietyAffecting and Effecting Afghan Culture
Social media is still relatively new in Afghanistan, but it has already been adapted in ways that makes it unique from other parts of the world.
The content allowed on social media and the Internet, for example, is shaped by the laws of an Islamic republic. As Director of Security Zmarialai Wafa explained, four topics are censored in Afghanistan: pornography, the sale of alcohol, dating websites, and websites that teach the making of elicit material, such as bombs.
In addition to different laws governing its content, Afghan social media is also used differently. Despite the ban on Internet dating, renowned Afghan journalist Mujib Mashal discussed how new ways of communication have opened up new channels of dating, traditionally taboo in Afghan society.
Civil Society Leader Shaharazad Akbar, meanwhile, discussed how social media in Afghanistan can be used to build unity between Afghans. She explained, “For security and access reasons, we can’t go everywhere in Afghanistan, but social media can, so it can help us build a national identity and learn about each other.”
2. Universal, Yet LocalSimilarities in How Social Media is Used in Afghanistan and Around the World
Developments in Afghan social media do not exist in a vacuum, however; rather, they are deeply affected by social media use around the world. In fact, a key objective of ASMS2014 was to encourage Afghan citizens to learn from the lessons from around the world.
To that end, this year’s social media summit featured speakers from 8 countries and case studies from numerous more.
Monica Ibrahimi of HarassMap Egypt spoke to Afghan activists on how to use the internet to fight for women’s right; Moksh Juneja of Wikimedia India encouraged Afghans to set up a Pashto-version Wikipedia page; Amir Sadeghpour, an Iranian blogger who was jailed for his activities, shared tips for Afghans to take advantage of Afghanistan’s comparatively free Internet; and Ala’a, the protagonist of the documentary #ChicagoGirl, inspired Afghan citizen journalists with her story of using Facebook to help organize the Syrian revolution.
3. Bridging the Digital DivideWhen limitations spark innovation Afghanistan is rapidly modernizing through new technologies, and has made huge strides in the telecommunications sector since 2001. However, as Eileen Guo, Aimal Marjan, Javid Hamdard, and others have all noted, it is still in its infancy.
MCIT has ambitious plans for expanding Internet access, but in the meantime, the Afghan private sector, civil society, donor community, as well as enterprising individuals are finding innovative ways of bringing online content offline, and vice versa.
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For security and access reasons, we can’t go everywhere in Afghanistan, but social media can, so it can help us build a national identity and learn about each other.
Shaharazad Akbar Civil Society Leader
The power of mobile should not be underestimated. Event Director Eileen Guo spoke of the “invisible” social network that allows Afghans to share popular content through the SMS and Bluetooth features on their basic phones. Mohammad Sufyan, of Pajhwok Afghan News, discussed his news agency’s plans to provide a more mobile news experience, with SMS alerts as well as a new mobile app. Javid Faisal, who managed a mobile peace reporting project in Kandahar, discussed the power of mobile in connecting citizens as sources of news.
Meanwhile, American Engineer Matt Stephenson taught a group of #ASMS2014 participants how to build their own mesh wireless networks to connect rural areas without Internet access, and fellow speaker Noor Mohammad Noor pointed out that such projects have already been implemented with much success in Nangarhar.
4. A Double-Edged SwordThe Good and Bad of Social Media
In the early days of social media in Afghanistan, there was a heady sense of excitement about its potential. While that optimism is still abundant, there is also a growing realization that social media is not all good.
A number of speakers and participants, including ICT Expert Javid Hamdard, Citizen Journalist Daud Hamidi, and Social Media Specialist Omid Haqbin all discussed the issues of harassment, cyber-bullying, the spread of misinformation, and negative and sometimes dangerous social media campaigns.
Meanwhile, Afghan Journalist Mujib Mashal brought up another issue: how technology is creating both new opportunities for romantic relationships – as well as the accompanying new opportunities for heartbreak.
But as Deputy Minister Aimal Marjan wisely pointed out, the negative aspects of Afghan social media are part of the process: “When someone gets the opportunity for the first time, he/she tries to exercise it and enjoy it. With the passage of time they get better at it. Now as the social media is new in Afghanistan, we try to exercise it, we will naturally get better when time passes.”
5. The Power of Citizen JournalismThe Increasing Power of Citizen Voices
Throughout the event, speakers discussed the power of the “crowd”. From Event Director Eileen Guo’s opening remarks on the true power of the Internet belonging to its users, the introduction of the mobile-based citizen peace reporting project in Kandahar, to the meeting of Paiwandgah’s citizen journalists, speakers recognized the growing importance of citizen storytellers.
This lesson was further driven home by the first-in-Afghanistan screening of the award-winning documentary, #ChicagoGirl, about how one young woman used Facebook to help organize the Syrian revolution – all from her bedroom in Chicago.
As one summit attendee that watched the film remarked, “If she can do that in Syria, what can’t we do in Afghanistan? Our history is even longer and more oppressed in Afghanistan than in Syria.”
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....social media is new in Afghanistan, so we will naturally get better when time passes
Aimal Marjan Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology
6. A Move Towards E-Government?
Social Media Bridges Gap Between Government and People
Social media and mobile technology used as a tool of civic engagement is increasing in Afghanistan. Examples include grassroots government accountability projects like SadRoz, which tracks progress on President Ashraf Ghani’s campaign promises during his first 100 days in office, to governmental offices using social media to communicate directly with citizens, to the rise of various “civic technology” projects.
And as Deputy Minister Aimal Marjan, of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) noted, the presidential palace is currently developing an SMS and Integrated Voice Response (IVR)-based system for Afghan citizens to contact President Ghani directly. But in the meantime, he told participants, anyone was free to call President Ghani directly!
7. Privacy and Safety on the Afghan InternetOnline Security is Key – But Confusing – to Most Afghans
In the panel discussion, Privacy, Rights, and Cyber-security, Zmarialai Wafa of the Ministry of Communications and Technology (MCIT) asked participants how they would like the MCIT to better serve Afghan social media users, and the response was overwhelming.
This session, even more than others, revealed how concerned the average Afghan social media user is with Internet privacy and security but interestingly, ASMS2014 participants were more worried about security than they were about their rights as Internet users.
This issue was not confined just to this panel discussion. Web Developer and Technologist Omid Haqbin provided some practical tips on Internet safety and security during one workshop; ASMS2013 attendee Daud Hamidi led a breakout session on the issue of cyber-bullying; and participants in the small group discussions on “Online Advocacy for Women’s Rights” discussed the issue of online harassment, and how women, in particular, could keep themselves safe.
8. Social Media Users Are Early AdoptersAs Internet Usage in Afghanistan Grows, Social Media Users Remain Most Tech-Savvy
The telecommunications sector has grown exponentially in the past fifteen years, with over 20 million mobile subscribers, 2 million Internet subscribers, and 1.3 million social media users. Today, it is common for Afghans to have more than one phone, and the use of smartphones is also on the rise.
But even amidst that growth, Afghanistan’s active social media users still tend to be the “early adopters” of technology. Early adopters start using products or technologies as soon as they become available, rather than waiting for them to be perfected. Early adopters tend to be young, relatively educated, influential in their own family or social circles, and also use more social networks than average users, as well as use social media more frequently.
The proof of this was when speaker Mohammad Sufyan, communications manager of Pajhwok Afghan News, asked how many people in the room had smartphones, and 80% raised their hands. This compares to an approximately 3% smartphone adoption rate among Afghans overall.
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9. The Bigger PictureSocial Media as Part of a Larger Technology Ecosystem
Not all of the talks focused exclusively on social media. Romain Lacombe spoke about the rising Internet of Things, Elmira Bayrasli discussed Internet entrepreneurship, and Nate Smith focused on the power of data.
The central theme of these talks was that social media does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, as ICT expert Javid Hamdard spoke to, social media represents the third stage of development of the information and communications technology sector. The first stage was developing the infrastructure, including mobile phones and cell phone towers, followed by service provision of the Internet, and finally, the production of content that is shared online.
Other speakers emphasized the importance of “content” as well. Soraya Afzali, one of the founders of Humans of Kabul, shared an example of how one type of visual content – photo portraits – portrayed another face of Kabul. Javid Hamdard, meanwhile, reminded participants how the current content shared by Afghans online would shape how government would regulate and even censor content in the future.
But perhaps the pervasive impact of technology on every aspect of life in Afghanistan was best described than by Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology Aimal Marjan: “I may use internet for research; I may earn online money; my economy is related with internet; I have relations with people through internet; and my social life is connected to internet.”
10. Ultimately, It’s About the PeopleSocial Media is Only as Powerful as the People That Use It
“People start revolutions, technologies give them voice.” Elmira Bayrasli
At the end of the day, the real power of social media is in amplifying the voices of its users. By itself it has no power; whether it is used as a force for good or evil depends entirely on the people that use it and the content that they share.
Thus, social media users should be careful to use the Internet responsibly. In the panel on Privacy, Rights, and Cyber-Security, Javid Hamdard raised another point as to why this is so important: “Our behavior as users will shape the trends of censorship in Afghanistan.”
Our behavior as users will shape the trends of censorship in Afghanistan.
Javid Hamdard
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People start revolutions, technologies give them voice
Elmira Bayrasli
27
Use Facebook to reach a wider audience, but use Twitter for breaking news.
Use #hashtags to keep track of conversations and to follow breaking news.
Consider your audience and the best way to reach them – social media does not have to mean Facebook, and can also be done on mobile phones.
Do not share any information on social media that you would not want to be public.
Javid Hamdard, technology expert says in the Panel Discussion on Privacy, Rights, and Cyber-Security.
Eileen Guo, Panel Discussion on Hashtag Activism
Omid Haqbin in Twitter workshop
Eileen Guo in her introductory remarks.
2929#ASMS2014, Conference Report
Use a 2-step log-in process to stay secure online. Matt Stephenson, Panel Discussion on Privacy, Rights, and Cyber-Security
Want to make your #hashtag more effective? Keep it simple. Timor Sharan, of #BadakshanNeedsYou, Panel Discussion on Hashtag Activism.
Want to write a news article in a more interesting format? Use “listicles”, or articles formatted like lists. Ruchi Kumar, the Managing Editor of Paiwandgah.
“How one group is making it easier to use social media in Afghanistan”
“Afghan Social Media Summit 2014 is talk of the town” “A Look at Digital Afghanistan”
“How one group is making it easier to use social media in Afghanistan”
31#ASMS2014, CONFERENCE REPORT
“Social Media Summit looks at change and potential.”
“Mobile matters in Afghanistan”
“Three-day Afghanistan Social Media Summit in Kabul”
Unique users interacted with the Afghan Social Media Summit social media page on Facebook.
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For more social media coverage of the event, please check out:
3333
Different Twitter users chimed into the conversation, live-tweeted on our official #
facebook.com/afghansocialmediasummit
twitter.com/afghansocialmediasummit #asms2014
youtube.com/user/afgsocialmedia
instagram.com/impassionafghanistan
storify.com/impassionaf/asms2014- afghan-social-media-summit-returns
afghansocialmediasummit.af
ASMS2014 could not have been possible without a number of generous and dedicated organizers and partners. These include not only Impassion Afghanistan, the main organizer, but also the following:
35#ASMS2014, CONFERENCE REPORT
About ImpassionImpassion Afghanistan is Afghanistan’s first digital media agency. Impassion was founded to help world-changing organizations increase impact through social media and mobile technology. To date, it has worked towards its mission by organizing the now annual Afghan Social Media Summit, creating Afghanistan’s largest nationwide citizen journalism platform called Paiwandgah (http://paiwandgah.af), conducting mobile-based surveys in Afghanistan for a major international news network, as well as representing the highest levels of Afghan government online.
Learn more at: http://impassion.af
ASMS2014 is just one event in a series of initiatives aimed at increasing the number and skill level of social media users in Afghanistan. Other activities from Impassion and our partners include:
• Provincial trainings on digital literacy, social media, and citizen journalism in ten provinces around Afghanistan
• Paiwandgah, Afghanistan’s largest citizen journalism platform, which will be relaunching with a new site design in early 2015
paiwandgah.af
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• ASMS2015, which is scheduled to take place in September 2015
• The first ever Afghan Social Media Awards, scheduled to take place during ASMS2015
